Music professor Alec Guinness rents a London flat from sweet old lady Katie Johnson. He tells her that, from time to time, several other musicians will visit in order to rehearse. In truth, Guinness can't play a note, nor can his… MoreMusic professor Alec Guinness rents a London flat from sweet old lady Katie Johnson. He tells her that, from time to time, several other musicians will visit in order to rehearse. In truth, Guinness can't play a note, nor can his visitors: he's a criminal mastermind, holding court over a gang of thieves, including the likes of punkish Peter Sellers, homicidal Herbert Lom and punchdrunk Danny Green. The gang uses Guinness' flat as headquarters as they conceive a daring 60,000 pound robbery. After pulling off the job, the gang stuffs the loot in a railway station locker. To avoid detection, Guinness convinces the ever-trusting Johnson to pick up the money. Through a series of comic complications, Johnson returns home with a police escort, with neither the woman nor the bobbies suspecting that she's carrying a fortune in her suitcase. Mistakenly believing that Johnson has ratted on them, the gang reluctantly plans to eliminate her. The Ladykillers won an Oscar nomination for William Rose's screenplay, and a BFA award for veteran character actress Johnson. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Not as entertaining as the remake I felt, but was good to be able to compare the two, especially with the location differences as well.

Tim Salmons

Absolutely terrific. Funny and charming. I love this movie.

Pierluigi Puccini

Alec Guinness is a witty criminal brain with a creepy grin. He masterminds a caper with his not so bright colleagues using an old lady's house as front.… MoreAlec Guinness is a witty criminal brain with a creepy grin. He masterminds a caper with his not so bright colleagues using an old lady's house as front.
Classic British comedy with many pleasant twists and turns, and charismatic performances. Black humour with charm all over.
Too bad the mediocre Coen Brother's remake kind of ruined the original's fantastic ending for me.

Candy Rose

This original movie is about a group of men who lodge in an old woman's house to plan a train heist. She gradually bumps them off one by one. Peter Sellers… MoreThis original movie is about a group of men who lodge in an old woman's house to plan a train heist. She gradually bumps them off one by one. Peter Sellers character is very creepy.

AJ Verser

A hilarious story, I loved it.

Devon Bott

Smartly written with a clever script, The Ladykillers features a young (and chubby) Peter Sellers in one of his early roles and Sir Alec Guinness channeling… MoreSmartly written with a clever script, The Ladykillers features a young (and chubby) Peter Sellers in one of his early roles and Sir Alec Guinness channeling Boris Karloff with one of his creepiest characters ever. He's positively ghoulish as the ringleader of a gang of thieves looking to rob an armored car carrying a payroll. The only thing standing in their way is a fiesty little old lady who isn't quite as clueless as everyone thinks. They pose as a string quartet and rent out her back room for rehearsals, intent on using her naivete for their nefarious scheme until a series of misfortunes befalls them. The film is filled with great performances and a tight story, but as a farce, it's not very funny. Not that there aren't funny moments, there are several, but it's about as funny as you'd expect a british comedy from the 1950s to be (draw your own conclusions from that statement). The Ladykillers makes an entertaining diversion for those looking to be diverted.

Cassandra Maples

Alec Guiness has to be one of the greatest actors of all time, and his role in The Lady Killers does not buck the trend. From the first moment I saw his dark… MoreAlec Guiness has to be one of the greatest actors of all time, and his role in The Lady Killers does not buck the trend. From the first moment I saw his dark shape looming through the doorway, I knew the character would be well creepy. And boy was it! With that horrible grin, those horrible teeth and that horrible laugh, it's little wonder that even the grim Herbert Lom starts to get a little freaked out.
Nevertheless, Katie Johnson as the infuriating Mrs Wilberforce almost succeeds in stealing the show. There cannot be a more annoying person in the world, from the point of view of policemen, criminals and baggage handlers alike.
The best scene of all, in my opinion, is the very last one, but I won't spoil it for you if you haven't seen it. I saw the re-make of the film, and I'm certainly a big Tom Hanks fan, It was as good as this one. Obviously, it's rather old-fashioned and might not appeal to everyone's sense of humour.

xGary Xx

Alec Guiness or Tom Hanks. Hmmmm...let me think...

Cindy I

I didn't enjoy this quite as much as the person who recommended it to me, but the little old lady is worth the price of admission.
UPDATE: Saw this… MoreI didn't enjoy this quite as much as the person who recommended it to me, but the little old lady is worth the price of admission.
UPDATE: Saw this again today, and was a little more impressed. Although I still think it starts off rather slow, it has a deliciously twisted ending. I remember that Kind Hearts and Coronets had a similar arc. I'm wondering if that's the style of older Brit comedies in general. Maybe I shouldn't be in such a hurry to turn them off.

Anthony Lawrie

Classic Ealing comedy. Alec Guinness and Peter Sellers are pretty good in this great British film.

Aaron Neuwirth

Mrs. Louisa Wilberforce: Simply try for one hour to behave like gentlemen.
A dark, English comedy about a group of criminals with a train heist plan that… MoreMrs. Louisa Wilberforce: Simply try for one hour to behave like gentlemen.
A dark, English comedy about a group of criminals with a train heist plan that requires a strategically placed house owned by a good-hearted old lady, played by Katie Johnson.
This plan leads to the mastermind of the heist, played by Alec Guiness, to rent out a room from the old lady and use it as a meeting spot for his other partners in crime, which include Peter Sellers and Herbert Lom. While this room is being rented, the criminals pretend to be practicing classical music.
The heist goes off about midway through the movie, but then the story turns into what to do about the old lady who learns to much about the men upstairs.
The movie is very dark and the humor is very dry and British. That being said, the performances are excellent and up to the task of taking the whole thing seriously. There are a couple of well staged moments as well, including a scene involving a telephone booth and scenes involving the disposal of bodies.
The movie is well ploted, moves along quick enough, and has a good cast of characters.
Professor Marcus: One-Round, there is a wheelbarrow outside, could you fetch it? The Major has a train to catch.

Sarah Gaish

Seen bits of itm what I've seen it's hilarious. I'm going to try and watch the rest